This is a motion I propose for debate out of a conversation I had with a friend last week. For some reason, she decided that I was a nerd because I am into film music. However much I argued against it, she wasn't convinced. It is interesting to note that, although not a "fan", she is fond of classical music (as well as pop, etc), yet did not class that as "nerdy". Opinions on this from the community would be extremely interesting! Best, Matt. P.S. Please don't publicly slander my friend, it was only a "friendly" argument.

This is a motion I propose for debate out of a conversation I had with a friend last week. For some reason, she decided that I was a nerd because I am into film music. However much I argued against it, she wasn't convinced. It is interesting to note that, although not a "fan", she is fond of classical music (as well as pop, etc), yet did not class that as "nerdy". Opinions on this from the community would be extremely interesting! Best, Matt. P.S. Please don't publicly slander my friend, it was only a "friendly" argument.

Personally, I believe that there are lots of film music nerds out there. These guys are completely ignorant about the world outside of their hobby. In some ways the hobby means a certain social isolation, because the film music community is rather small and wide spread over the globe. Here in Kiel, a city of 150000 inhabitants, I haven't found a single person to share my film music interest so far.

Some guests, when entering my room (with ca 2000 cds) are quite shocked about the amount of music I have on my shelves. You can see it on their face. "Come on what a fan boy this is...". For some I may be a nerd, for others not. I don't see the point. I love this hobby and have a quite nice life besides film music. So I don't care...

Remind your friend that Copland, Vaughan-Williams, Schostakovich, Prokoviev, Walton ... MANY classical composers wrote and respected scores. This attitude is hard to bear. Also show her stuff by Herrmann, Rozsa etc.. Ask her where she thinks Andre Previn came from. If she's REALLY into classical and jazz, she'll give you a fair hearing.

Copland added a whole extra chapter on film scores to a reprint of his book, "What to Listen for in Music."

(Then lock yourself in a closet and ask why all Miklos Rozsa fans (except me) are so grumpy and reactionary.)

Ive been collecting movie scores for 30+ years and I have yet to meet anyone, except the few who got me started in this direction or at least gave me a push, but that was in high school Im 47 now, anyway sence then in all that time I havent met anyone who shares the interest in movie music I do. and of course on this newsgroup but Ive met no one, if im a nerd or geek , so be it , I love movie music and will take that to my grave. sd

Yeah, but that's a far cry from having every James Horner or Jerry Goldsmith score ever written...

I think many film music fans are socially immature, as they can't seem to engage in an open discourse without their prejudices showing IMMEDIATELY. If you disagree with their opinion they insult you or offer irrelevant "facts" to back their point up. If it weren't for cyberspace, these people would most likely be without many friends and with nobody to communicate with. Does that make them "geeks?" I don't know -- but it makes them very close-minded and unpleasant to be around, even if you're only on the same message board as them.

So long as you have a number of other interests besides film music, as well as knowledge in more than just this one area and friends you can talk to about matters other than film music, you're probably a fairly well-rounded person. But based on some of the "passion" with which certain individuals seem to embrace film music, I think some of them might be rightfully considered "geeks."

Tell you what Koji-Kun, you and your well rounded friends fix up the world to your liking and since you'd all rather stay together the rest of us will hibernate and try to learn from you. Once fixed we'll come out try not to be afraid of our shadows and you can start the big school lessons on life. Please note- the students looking out the windows drawing on the note book papers and writing stories are the useless lot so exterminate them right away.

We are all different and learn at different speeds. Should it have been ok to shit on my japanese friend when I lived with her family for 2 and a half years for non fluent english?I mean she studied english her whole adult life.

Live and let live. Difficult? I think not.

Put out that hand if you have all the answers and the knowldege and help, don't kill the person because he's wrong.(even if he stands buy his mistake) If the Japanese people had did that to me when I worked for a japanese animation company with my broken japanese I would have been destroyed.

They didn't they were the most astonishing people I have yet met,they put there ego and important matters aside put their hands out (and there were many) and pulled me along till I was up to speed. So far no american animation company or american I know of has done that for me.

I'm certainly a geek, but I work hard and I'm ambitious, and I will not allow anyone in the business or out of it to call me that or to undermine my work or what I like.

I have NO idea what 90% of what you wrote actually means, and I have no idea why you seem to be so offended by what I said. It was pretty harmless and definitely related to the subject of this thread. Your response seems to have come from left field. My advice is to "chill out" and try to concisely state a point and stick to it.

I don't know what to say except that I AM a film score enthusiast but I an NOT a nerd. At least that's my self-perception. Some of the people I know may think I'm a bit uncool about certain things but those things have nothing to do with my interest in collecting film scores.

If you go by the classic stereotype of a "nerd" then you're either a nerd, period, or you're not. I think amongst ourselvses there are those who are so obsessive and absorbed as to give the impression that they are socially out of touch. But that's only an impression.

I've beeen collecting for almost 25 years and I have a huge collection. Sometimes I even share it with aquaintences but I just don't make a big deal of it to people in general. I have so many other interests outside of my collection that it comes down to film music being a passion but one which is kept in proportion with the more important things in my life.

If anything, it seems that my serious interest in this wierd art has made me a more interesting person to my closest friends. I know my wife thinks so.

This is a motion I propose for debate out of a conversation I had with a friend last week. For some reason, she decided that I was a nerd because I am into film music. However much I argued against it, she wasn't convinced. It is interesting to note that, although not a "fan", she is fond of classical music (as well as pop, etc), yet did not class that as "nerdy". Opinions on this from the community would be extremely interesting! Best, Matt. P.S. Please don't publicly slander my friend, it was only a "friendly" argument.

Matt: Point out to your friend that film music is essentially either a variation and/or amalgam of all other forms of music including those which she does not consider nerdy. So by extension, if film music is nerdy,so then is all other music,including of course the music she likes. Hope this helps.

Well, I'm from Nuernberg, Germany, and I really must say there's a nice little group of guys I call my friends, and not only do we share a common interest in movies or going out together in general, but we are in fact movie music lovers.

OK, I'd say I'm quite the biggest collector of them (second only to a guy who really has EVERYTHING there is, literally thousands of CDs, and I include ANY orchestral music of the last 350 years here, not just film music), but we're 5 or six people who a) know the names and can b) appreciate the works of Williams / Herrmann etc....

Hhm... So yes, it CAN be a lonely hobby, but I just as well love reading, meeting with interesting women, playing pinball and enjoying an Italian dinner with good friends. Guess I'm quite lucky...!

While attending the Goldsmith concert in London recently, it struck me how much some of the people attending reminded me of the people I used to meet at chess clubs, and on my computer science course at university.

It's quite strange and amusing to discover that there is a certain 'type' of person similar to yourself.

I suppose I do qualify as a nerd/geek, but to me that is infinitely preferable to being exactly like the norm, which seems to be the aim of a lot of people.

Define NERD... I believe when people fall outside the likes of what's mainstream, they're bound to be called nerds. Especially when they're not into some alternative heavy metal scene or something.

Personally, I believe that there are lots of film music nerds out there. These guys are completely ignorant about the world outside of their hobby. In some ways the hobby means a certain social isolation, because the film music community is rather small and wide spread over the globe. Yeah, that might be. But then again: there are many more people who are ignorant about the world outside of their hobby. Doesn't have to be film music... Some people are really onto themselves, do not socialise very much, hate to go out and meet people... because they somehow hate or dislike people...

Hey, I'm a bit shy, working many lonely hours in my home-studio and hate crowds... but I love people. ALL of them. I also love music. ALL of it. While I prefer film music, I tend to listen to classical music, house in all it's variants, rock, blues, jazz, alternative pop (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello.. don't know in what category their music falls) and folk music. Am I a nerd? ... No. But I do know some...

While attending the Goldsmith concert in London recently, it struck me how much some of the people attending reminded me of the people I used to meet at chess clubs, and on my computer science course at university.

It's quite strange and amusing to discover that there is a certain 'type' of person similar to yourself.

I suppose I do qualify as a nerd/geek, but to me that is infinitely preferable to being exactly like the norm, which seems to be the aim of a lot of people.

It's nice that you mention that. People DO fit into certain categories. There are certain types of exterior. I don't mean color or race, but facial building and expressions (think about look-a-likes!). There are certain types of interior (opinions, interests, etc). Often both exterior and interior types combine into, what you could call a 'stereotype'. Salesman are generally speaking (there are always exceptions, rimind that) a very different 'breed' of people that construction workers or computer-engineers.

Lots of people form the GREY MASS... They do not combine elements that would make them fit into a specific categorie, or not that strong. The mass is what keeps everything together. They do adapt to uniformities, to the NORM. The norm is just some neutral ground. No strong opinions or interests. Also, the mass (and this not really nice of me to state) consist mainly of less "bright" (smart) people. People who can't think for themselves on al larger scale. People who are not willing to eat exotic fruits because they've never eaten it before.

Of course, you can't really control the environment you live in. You may not have enough money to spend to look for 'exotic fruits' or you may (honestly) dislike them. There aren't too many people who stray very far from the "MASS". Some great artist do (Salvador Dalí, various rock stars). Here, it depends on how the MASS sees you. Take a look at the highschool youth. There are multiple groups, often by musical-preference. Usually the silent or shy ones are bound to be called nerds, altough they may fit into a group by musical preference. It's their isolated behaviour that makes them stand outside. Outside of the various groups. Computer-wizards, smart kids and more artistic ones are also called nerds often. They too stand out too much from the various groups, and form groups by themselves (more to the edge, if you will). It's their nature to explore, learn, create.

When is somebody really a nerd? Not if they are very open to the world around them. To quote Mike Rumpf again: the ones who are completely ignorant about the world outside (of their hobby/of their homes/of their lives/ of their... fill in whatever you want). The ones who are intolerant towards the unknown, to strange things and strangers. The ones who can't accept that people are all people with lives of their own, interests, work, hobbies, families... The ones that do judge you and condemnn you for what you think or like...

All I know is that it's often much more interesting to talk to people with a PASSION for something, be it refridgerator magnets or the political situation in Cambodia. Much more interesting than people who agree with everything and don't have any real opinions about anything.

As long as that passionate person is also SOCIALLY INTELLIGENT, i.e. KNOWS other topics outside the passion and is able to discuss it, maybe even add a few humourous comments into the mix, he can come to my party anytime!